The Tradition of Argentina: The Tango

"The tango is not only a form of Argentinean's life, is also the most seductive dance in the world."

A woman (with shoes of needle heel and an elegant black dress) arches the back and with her leg surrounds his couple's waist, and the man… he stays erect, pressing her back firmly with the right hand, at the same time that gives her turns. The tango is the most sensual dance and one of those that actually is giving the turn to all the world, in Japan, has become the national dance of Finland, is beginning to be successful in London and it is also topic of diverse movies and shows.

But the best place to experience its burning passion is its origin place: Buenos Aires, there, it is practiced in the Clubs, the cafeterías, even in the streets, without caring the ages, the cultures and the estratos… each one demonstrating their abilities.

The tango was born in the poor sectors of Buenos Aires between 1870 and 1880, the historians recognize that this dance has taken some elements of different cultures, reflecting the big social changes that were giving in that time.

It was during the period when the "gauchos" (that were private of their civil rights) moved to the city in big numbers, as well as thousands of European immigrants in search of a better life. These were difficult times, but the music helped to these people for escaping from the poverty and the abandonment feeling.

The tango evolved gradually, taking varied elements of other rhythms (African rhythms, the milonga, the pulleys and the mazurkas of Europe, besides the vat rhythms) and little by little it was being refined until acquiring its own personality. One of the most polemic characteristics it is the strait contact among the bodies of the dancers, this caused a great scandal among the "High" society, that censored the dance considering it obscene and immoral. But the " high class" youths soon succumbed to the charm of this sensual dance.

Little by little the tango moved of the bars and the cafeterias to respectable dance rooms, and then extended for the foreigner. It took Paris for surprise, and their popularity grew when the Argentineans system admitted that, if the Europeans accepted the dance, in Argentina they should also accept it.

The tango had an Evolution, to the flutes, guitars, violins and clarinets, then were added the "Bandoneón", a similar instrument to the accordion, cared of Bavaria in 1886, probably for the sailors.

In the XX century they were begun to add letters of songs to the music, some obscene ones, other comics and other very sad. After this music charged importance again, appeared a new race of musicians and singers, among those that the great star of all the times was: "Carlos Gardel", who unfortunately died in an air accident in Medellín - Colombia, June 24 of 1935.

Although passed a lot of time since Gardel died, they still hang of the walls of many bars posters and this Great character's pictures, elegant and charismatic, so lasting is its popularity that today the Argentineans still say: "Gardel sings better every day."

With shows of enormous success and exceptional impact in box office, the tango continues its journey for the world, but… one thing is to see and to listen the tango, and another very different thing is to dance it; the men assume the control rotating him couples through a dance hint with a series of complex steps and geometric formations, uniting arms and legs.

It is certain that an experienced couple can guide the beginner in a dance hint, however is needed a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of practices, to really enjoy the tango and according to the improving of the techniques, the dance will be made more funny.

Many people affirm that the tango allows them more to share its passion for the music and the intimate movement with somebody. The music and the couple's personality generally decides, can be a person that knows or a perfect strange, but for somebody, when they dance tango, that person becomes the most important.

IndexesInterval Magazine Year: 2000 Title: Two are needed to dance the Tango